By Nadine Kam
Star-Bulletin
Thursday, November 7, 1996
YOU can lead locals to water, but you can't make them drive in it. This regional peculiarity is observed by kamaaina with affection and some pride. The rainy day review that
almost wasn’tOh well, we sigh, it's not our fault that we can't drive in the rain. It's not our fault that on rainy days traffic becomes a slo-mo crawl. Those other 363 days of fair weather just don't give us a chance to practice hydroplane-avoidance skills.
And if you can't drive in the rain, you just don't go out so the companion phenomenon is that a lot of businesses tend to close up shop on rainy days.
I imagine the only ones foolish enough to be out during the Election Day downpour were politicians and journalists. At least most of those journalists were covering the General - a real event with real names, real news and real repercussions. Me, I was just trying to eat.
Now, in the newsroom hierarchy, no one really considers this work at all. But for this one night, I'd like to think I had the more difficult task.
I found myself with a friend, staring at the locked glass doors at Angelica's. The restaurant had changed owners in August and things were running along smoothly, but on this particular night, with no prospective diners in sight, the decision was was made to close.
As we stood there forlornly, we heard the clatter of pots and pans. Our spirits were buoyed as we approached the restaurant's back door. Unluckily for sous chef Jesse Dela Rama, his ride hadn't arrived, delayed by the rain, natch. So there he was, and there we were, arguing our case: We had reservations. We had confirmed them. We came all this way. In the end, all we had to say to convince him to feed us was, "We're hungry." That, and perfecting a pitiable whimper, can take you many places in life.
EVEN though he didn't open the restaurant to us completely, Angelica's is blessed with "outdoor" dining under the roof of the Gentry Pacific Center. We made a deal. He would pack everything to go, so that we could eat at one of the outdoor tables at our leisure, and he could take off whenever his ride arrived.So it was that my friend and I dined on what were likely the priciest "plate lunches" in the state, at $26 for Seafood Linguine and $18 for Chicken Marsala.
It's hard to be objective about such an experience and I won't even try to be. It's not every day one has an entire restaurant to oneself, along with a personal chef at one's service. On a better day, the Chicken Marsala might have incorporated more wine, but I wasn't about to complain.
The linguine was impressive with its inclusion of pieces of lobster tail and crab claw, along with the requisite fish, shrimp, mussels and clams. I prefer the linguine to a special of Paella ($19.95), featuring the same seafood items along with pepper- and saffron-tinged rice.
That's not all we had. Dela Rama didn't complain as we also requested appetizers of Steamed Clams ($7.50) and Blackened Ahi ($8.50), accompanied by a salad of greens and onions topped with raspberry vinaigrette.
Few other restaurant personnel would be as accommodating. Sure, when they're clocked in, they'll smile and fetch, going as far as to laugh at your dumb jokes for a tip. But on their own time it's another story.
So I have much respect for the chef, who on a dark and stormy night, didn't leave two hungry souls standing in the rain.
Angelica’s
Where: Gentry Pacific Center, 560 N. Nimitz
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. daily, with breakfast service due in two weeks
Prices: $25 for two for lunch; $45 to $60 for two for dinner
Call: 537-6619
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com- excellent;